The Unsettling Return to Corrupted Kids’ TV
After reviewing the first Amanda the Adventurer game back in 2024, I was reminded of how old children’s TV programmes in the UK can be quite scary. I have a friend who, to this very day, finds the gentle, stop-motion animation of Bagpuss absolutely terrifying. There was another show from my childhood called Rhubarb and Custard, which was a sort of amazing, colourful, hand-drawn animation about a dog and cat that, as a child, used to make me cry for some reason. There was just something unsettling about its simplicity and the slightly off atmosphere.
It is this exact, unsettling territory of corrupted innocence that Amanda the Adventurer 2 leans into heavily. It provides an adventure puzzle game that not only makes your brain work overtime but manages to keep your heart rate high at the same time, striking a brilliant balance between cerebral challenge and palpable dread.
Beyond the Attic
Amanda the Adventurer 2 starts exactly where the original left off. You are back in the attic from the first game, still playing as Riley, who has been solving the mystery of the cursed Amanda the Adventurer TV show on a pile of old VHS tapes.
If you achieved the true ending in the first game, the story leads on directly from there; if you haven’t, it doesn’t really matter, as the game deftly sets you on a new journey anyway. You are escorted away from the familiar attic by a mysterious hooded individual, setting you on a new path to research the true source of the tapes. The first port of call on this unnerving journey is the local library, a place that, in true horror fashion, may hold far more secrets than just overdue books.
The narrative this time around delves much deeper into the lore and foundations of the Amanda the Adventurer programme and the disturbing cult that surrounds it. I found the writing to be excellent, and the actual tapes themselves – the core of the experience – are a masterful mixture of brilliant, layered writing, disarming children’s-show humour, and sudden, creeping horror.
The game cleverly uses the children’s show format to deliver its darkest story beats. It’s definitely a significant step up from the first game, which was already narratively great. I am genuinely interested to see how far they can take this compelling lore, especially going into the third game.
Intricate Puzzle Mechanics
The gameplay is all about intricate puzzle solving, and it can be a mixture of very clever, satisfying “a-ha!” moments and challenges that feel damn near impossible to work out at first glance. You play the game in the first person, and the main instruction, though unwritten, is to explore everything and then – crucially – look at everything one more time.
For example, in the beginning level in the library, you are presented with a seemingly mundane librarian’s desk, complete with a book scanning machine and a locked filing cabinet. Further investigation, that all-important second look, reveals that in the children’s area, there is a VHS machine but no tape. What now? The game trusts you to be observant. You might start to scan a book lying around and see who last checked it out, and then see what else that person was reading. You find that second book and discover some strange, scrolling letters hidden within its pages. Could these relate to the locked filing cabinet? The answer is yes, but I am not going to say any more than that. You know, spoilers.
This very first level masterfully sets the stage for how hard these puzzles are going to be. There are a lot of moving parts in Amanda the Adventurer 2, and the game provides no obvious instructions or hand-holding whatsoever. A helpful hint: If you find yourself in trouble, look to the printers in the library and see what they have to tell you.
Watching for Clues
It takes a while to get back into the specific, lateral-thinking mindset that these puzzles require, but once you’re in that groove, they are every bit as engaging and cleverly constructed as those in the first game.
When you eventually unlock a new tape and watch the next episode of the Amanda series, you must pay close attention, as you’ll get critical clues from the video about what to do next in the real-world environment you are in. Some of these clues are more explicit, while others are deeply cryptic and will take you a lot longer to solve.
As in the first game, there are a few different endings to discover, which means subsequent playthroughs with different puzzle solutions are required, if you can be bothered at the end. The game is genuinely scary, but it achieves this without relying on cheap jump scares. Instead, there is a pervasive, ominous feeling throughout the entire experience. The Amanda videos themselves are the true stuff of nightmares.
Visual Menace and Top-Table Audio
The game retains the same visual animation style for the TV series as the first game, and that’s a very good thing, as it absolutely nails the creepy children’s show aesthetic. Amanda herself remains a terrifying creation, with her wide-eyed, uncanny valley stare. I also enjoyed the real world environments this time around, which are very well put together. The developers have paid close attention to small details, like unique illustrations for all the books you can collect and read.
The sound design is equally impressive. The original voice cast is back, and just like before, they do an excellent job with the characters and performances, balancing the feigned cheerfulness with the underlying menace. The sound overall is top table stuff, and works perfectly to maintain the high tension atmosphere.
A Brilliant, Deeper Dive into the Horror Lore
To be honest, I didn’t think I needed another Amanda the Adventurer game in my life, but I am so glad Amanda the Adventurer 2 came along, as it successfully takes the core experience from the first game and progresses it further in meaningful ways. It was great to see the story padded out and to finally get a bit more information about the TV series and the dark reasons why it was made. I also enjoyed being in the different, more expansive environments, moving beyond the confines of the attic to the library. I do think the puzzles are a bit harder this time around, which might put some people off, and I firmly believe you need to play the first game in order to get the most out of this sequel’s narrative.
That said, I am definitely looking forward to the next one in the series.
Important Links
She’s Back… and She’s Aware of Your Presence – Amanda the Adventurer 2 is OUT NOW! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/shes-back-and-shes-aware-of-your-presence-amanda-the-adventurer-2-is-out-now/
Buy Amanda the Adventurer 2 on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/amanda-the-adventurer-2/9p0sq2rh2qrd
